


Too Many Secrets

by sophe



Series: Warden Secrets -Short Stories [5]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: AU, Gen, Post-Game, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-14 07:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2182443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophe/pseuds/sophe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fenris, Varric, and Sebastian leaned against the wall in Varric's rooms and tried to at least act casual.  They had no expectation of ever seeing The Warden Commander again, and yet here she was sitting with Hawke at Verric's table pouring over maps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too Many Secrets

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Starkhaven Whiskey](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1208137) by [sophe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophe/pseuds/sophe). 



> This was another version of Starkhaven Whiskey and in retrospect, it is so much better that I am unsure why I even posted Starkhaven Whiskey. That said, Hawke is more of a prop than an actual character. There are references to And I Willingly Paid Her Price.

End of 9:37 start of 9:38

Fenris, Varric, and Sebastian leaned against the wall in Varric's rooms and tried to at least act casual. They had no expectation of ever seeing The Warden Commander again, and yet here she was sitting with Hawke at Verric's table pouring over maps.

"Rivaini says she must be about 40." Varric spoke under his breath.

"That's a very well preserved 40." Both Fenris and Varric looked at Sebastian. "What? I can still look and admire the Maker's creations."

The Warden Commander had shed her armor, in its stead was a plain linen shirt tucked into black leather leggings and boots. She hadn't shed her daggers though and even if she appeared relaxed and casual, Varric knew that any intruder would probably be dead before any of the others had a chance to respond.

"Aveline told me that at Ostagar, the older soldiers, who remembered her, would tell stories around about what she did with those daggers." Fenris growled.

"I still want to know why I never heard about her." Varric studied her. He wouldn't ever tell the story about her and Anders, but he did plan and penning a few tales about her, especially since she just happened to appear after they had a nice little family reunion at Vimmark. Since they had been visiting a Warden prison and it had gone sideways and stayed sideways since the start, it was really only natural for The Warden Commander to show up. She seemed to be attracted to sideways things.

"Fenris…" Varric noted the elf's normally broody demeanor had shifted to something he could only describe as lust and that actually made him a little bit uncomfortable. Hawke's head was close to The Commander's and there was a hint of intimacy between them. "I don't think she's interested in Hawke that way."

"An elf can dream." Fenris growled at him.

Sebastian groaned, "Maker, now I can't not think about it."

Isabella slipped into the room holding a drink. "Are they still at it?"

Fenris and Sebastian shifted their weight from leg to leg adjusting for comfort.

"Which they? The boys here who suddenly turned into thirteen year olds who figured out that their dicks were good for more than just pissing, or the two women who made these two turn into thirteen year olds."

"Yeah, she sorta has that effect. I think it's because she doesn't just screw the men who gape at her."

The three men turned their heads to stare at her.

"What? A strong woman who is good with weapons and looks like her? Men need to fuck her just to remind themselves that she's still a woman." Isabella grinned at hem. "She thinks otherwise."

"I didn't realize the Grey Wardens were celibate." Sebastian looked genuinely surprised.

Isabella burst into laughter, "they aren't. They are probably one of the randiest groups in Thedas. I didn't say she didn't fuck, I just said she didn't fuck the men who needed to fuck her."

Fenris and Sebastian swallowed hard. She smirked at their reactions. "Sorry, fellas, but I'm pretty sure you either need to be a dead king or a Warden to get in her pants."

"You are a cruel woman, Rivaini."

"It's almost like you actually can see their dreams bursting."

The Warden Commander suddenly slammed a hand down on the table. "That little shit is almost as big a moron as his predecessor and the King of the Anderfels combined!" Her outburst caused the men to straighten up from their casual stance. And then she looked at them. Isabella even squirmed a little bit under her gaze. "Dwarf. Find Stroud and tell him that he is being summoned."

"Um, I'm not even sure where to find him." Varric tried to avoid her penetrating stare.

"You and I both know that's not true. Find the Warden Commander of Kirkwall and get his ass into this tavern. Now."

Normally Varric would have found some street rat to get a message to the Wardens, but he thought better of it. "Come on, Broody and Choir Boy, if I need to trek through the streets at night, you're coming with me." He grabbed Bianca and ushered the other two reluctant men out of the room. He figured Rivaini would be able to take care of herself, and left her behind.

~

"Do you even know where their Keep is?" Sebastian asked Varric.

"Of course I do, but I wasn't going to admit that. And it's more of a compound than a Keep."

"Why'd she come back? None of us are Wardens or former Wardens." Fenris furrowed his forehead in thought.

"Because we traipsed into Wardenville and from her timely arrival, I'm guessing that she thinks of it more as trespassing." Varric stopped at the door of a large lodge outside of Kirkwall. "And now we're gonna traipse into Wardentown and I'm pretty sure Stroud is gonna think we're trespassing." Varric pounded his fist against the door.

"So what must one do in order to become a Warden?" Sebastian rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

Varric did a double take at the man before responding. "You could die. And from what I gleaned from my time in the Deep Roads, it's not quite as clean as the Chantry. You'd get your pretty white armor all dirty. Oh, and you could die."

The door opened and a friendly face grinned down at them. The friendly face belonged to a hulk of a man, who could, and probably had, pound nails into stone with his fist. "You here for Stroud?"

"We're expected? I do not like this, dwarf." Fenris grumbled to Varric.

"Me neither, Broody, but what can we do?" Varric smiled up at the Grey Warden. "That we are."

"He'll be down shortly. Come in." The Warden held the door open wider and welcomed them in.

The unexpected warmth put them all on edge, but they didn't refuse the invitation. They stepped into the entry way of the lodge, a large room with benches and chairs and a warm fireplace. Across from the entrance was another doorway, but the door was closed. Varric got the feeling that their warm welcome wouldn't extend any further, so he settled into the room. He walked over to the fireplace and stared at the painting hung against the wall over the fireplace.

It wasn't a portrait, but there were people in it. The woman, The Warden Commander was on the left, she wasn't wearing armor, instead she was in a dress, but not in any style that Varric recognized. It was sleeveless and silver in color, and she was holding a bloody dagger. A man in formal dress stood in the center, a sword covered with blood in his hand. Another man stood on the right. He too was in formal gear, but he held a sword and a dagger, each in one hand. It was a strange painting to see in a Warden lodge where everyone, even non-Wardens could see it.

"The Warden Commander, Loghain, and Duncan saved King Maric and that painting was done from the descriptions of witnesses." The large Warden stood next to Varric and looked up at the painting with him.

Varric raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to the Warden. Yet another story that surely he should have heard. "How come no one hears any stories about her?"

The Warden shrugged his shoulders. "When Maric disappeared, she no longer visited the Palace and Ferelden thought she ran away." He turned to Varric and looked down. "She was so close to her goal, bringing the Order back to Ferelden, but fate intervened. When she left, they didn't have anyone to remind them that they needed her."

"I know a good story when I see one, and she's a good story."

"She doesn't want to be a story." He grinned his same friendly grin. "And since you're here, I assume you've met her, and know that it's difficult to refuse her."

Varric grumbled to himself. The Warden was right. Before he could ask any more questions the door leading to the main portion of the lodge opened and Stroud came into the room. He wasn't dressed as a Warden, but he was in armor. 

Stroud's Orlesian accent permeated his speech. "We should probably leave, she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

As they left the lodge Varric screwed his courage to the sticking post, "You knew she was here."

"Of course. It's very hard to not know when The Warden Commander is around."

Varric wanted to ask what they had done with Anders, but wasn't quite brave enough for that. Grey Wardens spooked him, and since Stroud seemed to be associated with The Warden Commander, Stroud spooked him a little bit more than most Wardens did.

"So, Stroud, does one show up at the Wardens' doorstep and ask to be recruited? Or is it by invitation only?" Sebastian asked from behind Varric.

"Seriously, Choir Boy. You. Could. Die." Varric shook his head, wondering where the chantry pledged archer's brain had gone.

Stroud chuckled. "She has that effect, no? A desperate desire to be part of her world, if just for a brief moment?" He ran his thumb and forefinger over his mustache, silently grooming it before continuing. "But her world is very dark. And she rarely lets anyone into it. She lost much at Ostagar."

The Grey Wardens didn't just spook Varric, they annoyed him. They spoke in half sentences, like it explained everything, and it probably did, to other Wardens, but Varric wasn't one of them and didn't have plans to become one of them. Anders had hinted enough about the Order that Varric was happy just orbiting around them from time to time. 

At the thought of Anders Varric got a little bit more brave. He cleared his throat. "Might I ask about Anders?"

Stroud nodded his head. "We took care of him as The Warden Commander asked."

"But you aren't going to tell me where or how?"

Stroud shook his head sadly. "It's better this way. Tell me, what would happen if you did know? Might you visit the site? And if someone followed you? He would never find the rest in death he couldn't achieve in life."

Varric grudgingly admitted to himself that Stroud was right. His grave would be violated by Templar supporters and venerated by the mage supporters. Hawke was barely keeping Kirkwall together with sealing wax and twine as it was. He looked over his shoulder at Fenris. Broody was being entirely too quiet. It wasn't that he complained much, but he usually had an opinion to offer. Varric had no idea where the elf's thoughts were, but he figured that they had long since moved away from dreams of Hawke and The Warden Commander.

"Warden Commander, why didn't you help when the Templars and Circle began their war." 

There it was. That's what Broody had been brooding about. He blamed the Wardens for not helping Hawke re-establish order.

"It was never our place to. Besides, we have mages from the Circle, apostates, and former Templars in our Order. Which side do we choose? Or do we make our own side and add to the chaos? Regardless, it would have been a dangerous precedence to set."

"But a Grey Warden put the King on the throne in Ferelden."

Varric wanted to kick Fenris. He had a feeling that Stroud was a kind of Warden like The Warden Commander and had an inkling of an idea, from what Rivaini had shared with him, that The Warden Commander had not been happy about that.

"It wasn't supposed to happen that way."

There it was again. A portion of a sentence that clearly explained everything and yet left everyone wanting to ask more questions. Varric wasn't sure he was relieved or not when he led Stroud into the Hanged Man and up to his rooms.

Fenris and Sebastian stayed down by the bar and Varric debated whether or not he should join them, but decided that he wasn't about ready to pass up the opportunity to possibly learn something new. He slid in behind Stroud and leaned back against the wall. Casually observing.

"Warden Commander." Stroud nodded curtly to the woman.

She looked up at him and smiled tightly. "You knew what you were guarding at the prison, right?"

"Not specifics. I knew what it was and who it was supposed to be and that it was supposed to be renewed, but I made certain that we didn't delve too deeply or ask too many questions."

"So tell me, Stroud. If Vimmark was your responsibility, how did Janeka get so close?"

Varric's ears perked up. Stroud was responsible for Vimmark, that was something he hadn't known before.

"You know the answer to that as well as I do." Stroud looked pointedly between Varric and Hawke.

"Both were there, but then I am sure that Bethany reported as much to you. They know more than most Senior Wardens." The Warden Commander leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"I defied orders by keeping Bethany away from Janeka. They won't let me get close again, Catte."

Holy shit, The Warden Commander had a name. Varric repeated her name about fifty times in his mind so he wouldn't forget it.

"I know. We knew it would happen eventually." She sighed and looked over at the other Warden. Her shoulders fell and the steely mask was gone. She just looked sad.

Stroud sat down and took her cup, taking a drink from her brandy without asking. He didn't expect this familiarity between the two. Varric was perplexed. Catte's behavior led him to believe one thing and yet now that he saw them together, he realized it was a lie. Sodding Wardens.

"Varric, is it?" Catte looked at him.

Varric nodded his head. She hadn't used his name before and the way it slipped from her lips spooked him.

"Do you think that Corypheus is actually gone, completely gone?"

"Uh." Sodding Wardens. How was he supposed to answer that? He looked at Hawke, hoping for a clue to how he should answer. For her part, Hawke was purposely examining one of the maps on the table and most definitely trying not to look at him. "I would probably suggest that you do your best to find Larius and ask him."

Catte rubbed her eyes and looked at Stroud. "Urthemiel… Corypheus… What's next?"

Stroud cleared his throat, "Elissa's new friend in Ferelden, this was not his first visit."

"You know, Stroud, there are days when I wish for my Calling. When I actually go to sleep and pray for it."

Stroud grinned at her. "You aren't leaving me behind. We're going together."

Catte looked over at Hawke and took a breath before speaking. "I am not usually one to recommend running away, but I can't say that your safe from Wardens. Take Bethany and that elf friend of yours and be ready to run."

Stroud placed a hand on top of Catte's. Again, a familiarity that Varric never thought Catte would tolerate. "Someone should go to Ferelden."

Catte nodded her head in agreement. "Can you find someone far enough removed?"

"I have an idea. His visit wouldn't be looked at as anything other than a visit." Stroud squeezed her hand.

Varric, ever one to break up the tedium of a serious conversation, grinned at Catte. "So Warden Commander, you know the guy in the super clean white armor?"

Catte smiled a half smile and nodded her head. "Yes."

"Well just saying, if you wanted to make a Chantry Boy's dreams come true, we'd all appreciate the chance to endlessly mock him."

She actually laughed. "As tempting as he might be, I appreciate and respect vows too much to let someone break them just because all their blood has left their brain." Then she winked at Varric and he almost fell over. "Besides, I have reservations at another inn tonight and I'm not certain that my friend would appreciate the sudden appearance of a third."

Catte turned back to Hawke. "When you decide it's time to leave, talk to Stroud. You can trust him. He can get you out of Kirkwall with no one the wiser. If he isn't here, the Compound will hide you. They are loyal to him."

Hawke nodded her head. "Thank you."

Catte returned her attention to Varric. "You realize that you have the hardest job, right?"

Varric finally felt comfortable enough, which wasn't very comfortable, to sit down at the table. "In what way?"

"That Bethany is a Grey Warden is known. We can't hide that. But everything else. Stroud, me, Vimmark, Corypheus. No one can know. Control the story, Varric."

Varric scratched at his chest and nodded his head slowly. "Been doing that already."

Stroud lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head. "This isn't about changing the people present or leaving out other small bits. This is about erasing entire chapters."

Varric grinned and chuckled. "That I can do." He couldn't help himself, he looked directly at Catte. "Under one condition."

"I didn't realize I was negotiating."

"I get your story. All of it. I won't do anything with it, until you're dead though."

"Alright. But I won't tell it to you. You will have to find the answers to your questions from others." She stood up and walked to the door. She looked back at Hawke. "Thank you." She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. 

Fenris, Sebastian, and Isabella had been lurking outside. From the way they suddenly became quiet and seemed to be adjusting their armor, Varric assumed they were theorizing about Catte. The entire night, Varric was perpetually at a point of falling over. He thought that there was nothing else that could surprise him. He was wrong. Catte sort of glided across the way to Sebastian, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It wasn't chaste, far from it, and from the way she pressed up against his armor and Sebastian's arms wrapped around her waist, the archer was responding in kind. 

She pulled away slowly, lifted her eyebrows, and gave Sebastian a slight smile. "I'm not worth breaking your vows over, but that should help you find peace with your thoughts."

Varric fell out of his chair. 

Stroud chuckled and stepped over Varric on his way out the room. "Like I said, she has that effect on people."

Hawke and Isabella were wiping tears of laughter from their eyes and Fenris actually looked envious. Sebastian was without words. Varric finally righted himself and the others came into the room for a bit of Wicked Grace and drink. Once more The Warden Commander swept in and out of their lives for a short time. Although this time she left a more lasting impression, at least on Sebastian. Varric smirked. Let the mocking begin.


End file.
